


Sleep No More

by twyly56



Category: Supernatural
Genre: BAMF Castiel (Supernatural), Castiel Holds Out For the Long Haul, Castiel Upsets The Empty, Enemies to Friends, Frustration, Gen, Hurt Castiel, Memories, Memory Alteration, Memory Related, Mental Anguish, Mental Coercion, Mind Games, Mind Manipulation, Recovered Memories, Takes a bit for that however, The Empty (Supernatural), The Empty (Supernatural) Just Wants to Sleep, The Empty Gets Involved in Stuff, The Empty Loves Gifts, Who Doesn't Love Castiel?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 06:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14868521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twyly56/pseuds/twyly56
Summary: Castiel wakes up in the Empty, and the primordial being that resides there is upset because it woke up, too. It tries to convince Castiel to go back to sleep, but he won't budge. He wants to be released. When the Empty finally lets him go, it leaves him with a little parting gift.





	1. Go Back to Sleep!

Castiel's eyes slid open, and all he saw was darkness. There was an unexplainable light that lit up the area immediately around himself, but other than that, nothing. At all. Everywhere. He stood up and looked around. Still nothing. A soft whoosh or perhaps it was a sucking sound occurred behind him, and he spun on his heel. There was an exact replica of himself, right down to the crooked tie. The thing with his face smiled at him. 

"Hello," it said. Its voice was rather odd, in Castiel's opinion, and he had heard many voices in his long lifetime. It was neither male nor female; it just _was_. If that made any sense. 

"What are you?" Castiel asked. Its grin seemed to widen without moving its lips. 

"Oh, I'm just your friendly neighborhood cosmic entity," it replied. Castiel frowned. 

"Why do you look like me?" he asked. 

"Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes," it murmured, looking down at itself and patting down its chest. "Well, you see, I show up in real form, and you freak out, start ripping out your own eyeballs, etc, etc, which would be rather embarrassing for the both of us, really." 

"What is this place?" 

"Oh, yes. Excellent question. Well, before God and Amara, creation, destruction, heaven, hell, and your precious little Earth, what was there?" 

"Nothing. There was nothing," Castiel answered, still confused. 

"Yes! Exactly right. Nothing. Nothing but empty. And you are soaking in it. Angels and demons, you all come here when you die," it explained. 

"Every angel that ever died is here," Castiel realized. His head spun with the mere thought of it. 

"Yes. Sleeping an endless, peaceful sleep. You know, I... I was sleeping, too," it said, its breath tickling Castiel's ear. He swallowed roughly, stiff from the closeness of the strange creature. "Hey, since we're pals, there's something I've just wanted to ask you. I've just got to know. Hmm, why are you awake? 'Cause, fun fact, nothing ever wakes up here, and I mean, ever ever. And, second fun fact, when you woke up, I woke up, and I don't like being _awake_. _So, what's up, smart guy?"_

"I don't know," Castiel said. The thing took a step closer. 

"Think," it commanded, anger lacing its tone.

"I think, the Winchesters," he managed to grind out through his suddenly dry throat. "Sam and Dean, they must have made a deal."

It laughed, shaking its head in frustration. 

"No. No no no. Not with me, and I'm-I'm the only one with any pull here. Not Heaven, not Hell, not G-O-D himself, so... _think_ harder." It tapped his forehead roughly with its fingers, making a slapping sound against the skin. "Wrack that perky little brain of yours. Come on." 

"Stay away from me," Castiel said, flinching back. 

"Okay, I'll rack it for you." 

It placed a palm on his forehead, and the pain that accompanied it forced him to his knees. He screamed in agony, memories ripping through his mind so fast that he blacked out. 

 

When he came to again, Castiel was lying face down on the blackness. He struggled to his knees. 

"What did- what did you do to me?" Castiel rasped. 

"Oh, I read your mind, such as it is."

"What do you want?" he asked. 

"What do I want? What I want is for you to shut up. What I want is, hmm, having you awake is like having a gnat fly right up here-" The thing jabbed its finger into its temple repeatedly, its face twisted in mounting annoyance bordering on fury. "-and it's trapped, and it's buzzing..."

"Having me awake causes you pain," Castiel deduced.

"If you can't sleep, I can't sleep. I _like_ sleep. I _need_ sleep. Yeah." It placed a hand under its chin, humming. 

"Get rid of me," Castiel said. 

"Oh, I should, should I?" 

"Send me back to Earth," Castiel said. 

"Or I throw you so deep into the Empty that you can't bother me anymore, hmm?" it suggested, making a throwing motion with its arm. 

"Except you know that that won't work, or you would have done it already," Castiel replied. 

"Pretty smart. Pretty smart, dummy," it growled. 

"Send. Me. Back." 

"That's not part of the deal," it shot back. "No no, hmm, no. Besides, you don't want to go back."

"Yes, I do," Castiel said. "Sam and Dean need me." 

It groaned, massaging its temples. It shook its head. 

"Oh, save it. I have tiptoed through the little tulips, your feelings, your memories, yes. I know what you hate, I know what you love, and I know what you fear. There is nothing for you back there." 

It knelt in front of him and cupped his cheek with a hand identical to his own. It smiled. 

"Here, let me show you," it said. 

It brought its other hand and clamped down on the right side of his skull, gripping almost too tight. But that wasn't what was hurting him. The memories tore through him once more, flying before his eyes without his consent. 

Pain. So much pain. 

_Shackles holding his wrists high above his head, an angel blade digging into his flesh._

_His Grace flowing out of him into a little glass bottle._

_Lucifer's blade embedded in his back, poking out of his chest._

Screaming. 

_Bleeding, so much blood, his vessel tearing at the edges, close to exploding._

_Walking into the lake, water filling his ears, lungs, mouth. Combusting, Leviathan bursting from his shattered body._

Castiel's scream broke off into a groan when the thing dropped his head, letting him fall to the floor. 

"Come on, Castiel. Wouldn't you rather be a fond memory than a constant festering disappointment?" It punctuated its words with a harsh kick to Castiel's ribs. He moaned deeply, rolling over on his side. 

"Just let's lay down, try and sleep." It stroked his back gently, a contradiction to its earlier violence. 

"Hmm, think about it. Infinite peace, yes," it murmured, moving its hand to his head, smoothing out his wild hair in soft strokes. "No regrets. No pain. Kiddo, save yourself."

Castiel rolled onto his back when it moved away, rising into a standing position. He panted. 

"I'm already saved," he responded. It rewarded him with a swift kick to his stomach, and he fell back over again, grunting. Castiel painfully pushed himself to his feet. "You can prance and preen. You can scream and yell and remind me of my feelings, but somehow, I'm awake, and I will stay awake. And I will keep you awake until we both go insane."

It punched him in the face, snapping his head to the side with the force. Castiel drew in a ragged breath, shaking his head to clear out some of the pain in order to refocus.

"I will keep fighting. I will keep fighting you. For... ever. For eternity." 

It blew out an angry breath and shook its head. 

"No. No no. No." 

"Release me," Castiel demanded. 

It just stared at him as he stumbled forward, stepping into its personal space, right up in its face. The replica of his blue eyes widened slightly, and Castiel felt a twinge of pride at having made a primordial being react. 

"Release. Me," Castiel growled. 

He lashed out with his own fist, striking it in the jaw. It jerked back in surprise. Its mouth curled up in a small grin. 

"Wow. That was... something. You are something else, aren't you, Castiel?" 

It sounded - oddly enough - happy, like it was thrilled with the thought. Castiel wasn't sure how he felt about that. 

"Release me," he reiterated.

Castiel punched it in the face again. And again. And again. 

With each punch, he repeated his demand. And each time, the thing smiled. 

After one particularly hard punch, it had fallen to the blackness. It rolled over onto its back and stared up at him. It hummed softly. 

"Yes, I do like you!" it laughed. Castiel grit his teeth. 

"Release me!" Castiel yelled in its face. 

It grabbed his face and jerked him down on top of it. Castiel struggled wildly against its hold, but it refused to let go. It spread its fingers over his eyes, sliding them shut. Castiel's breath echoed in his ears. 

 

Castiel gasped, bolting upright. He blinked when he realized that sunlight was hitting him in the eyes. He looked around with tangible relief and took in the weeds, dirt, trees. He was never more grateful than he was now for the simple things that his Father had created. They were beautiful. Castiel glanced up into the midday sky, and a soft smile slid onto his face. He stood up, stretching his reanimated limbs with no amount of discomfort. That was rather pleasant. 

He began to walk in the direction of the nearest road. He needed to get to Sam and Dean. 


	2. The Empty's Gift

"Cas? Is that really you?" Dean asked. 

Castiel looked at him, joy lifting his heavy heart, but his face remained stoic. 

"N-no. It can't be. You're dead," Sam said. 

Castiel walked forward away from the pay phone. 

"I was. But then I annoyed an ancient cosmic being so much that it sent me back," Castiel said. 

"I don't even know what to say," Sam breathed. 

Dean's lips turned up in a genuine smile. 

"I do." He went to Castiel and wrapped his arms around the angel. "Welcome home, pal." 

Dean stepped back after a moment, and Sam hugged him as well. 

"How long was I gone?" Castiel asked. 

"Too d*mn long," Dean said. Castiel nodded with a slight smile. 

"Where were you? In Heaven?" Sam asked. 

"No. I was in the Empty," Castiel responded. His mind flashed back to the primordial being. Its grinning face. 

_"Wow. That was... something. You are something else, aren't you, Castiel?"_

"The Empty?" Dean prodded, his brows furrowing. 

"Yes. It's where angels and demons go when they die." 

"...Huh."

 

Jack looked up at Castiel with wide eyes and a slack jaw. Castiel smiled gently at the young Nephilim. 

"Castiel?" he ventured. 

"Yes, it's me," Castiel replied. 

"But... we burned your body. And what's burned stays dead. How?" Jack asked, his face pulled together in confusion. 

"Yeah, that's the question we've been asking," Dean said. 

"Jack... did you bring Cas back?" Sam asked. 

"I don't know. I wanted him to come back. I... begged for him to come back. But..." Jack trailed off. 

"Well, here he is," Dean said. 

"We don't know, Jack. But we think, maybe," Sam answered. Castiel stepped forward, and Jack's eyes shot up to his face. 

"Thank you, Jack," Castiel said. 

Jack smiled, the crinkles in his face smoothing out, and he walked into him, wrapping his arms around the angel. Castiel reciprocated the gesture, rubbing gently on his back.

"I missed you... so much," Jack murmured. 

"I missed you as well," Castiel responded quietly. 

Jack stepped back from him, and Castiel kept his hand on his shoulder for a moment longer. He smiled at the young man, who grinned back. Jack turned back to the table. 

"Sam and Dean tell me that you are doing well," Castiel said. Jack nodded. 

"I am. I- Here, watch this." Jack held his hand over the table, and a wooden pencil lifted off the surface, hovering six inches off of it. The boy grinned at him. Castiel gave him an approving nod. "I can move the pencil. And that's not all." Jack sat down at the table and tapped furiously at the keyboard. "I've got a case." 

 

"Castiel? I had a question for you," Jack said. Castiel looked up from his book and gave him his full attention. 

"Yes, Jack?" 

"Um, I just wanted to ask what that black stuff on your arm was." 

"What?" Castiel said. 

Jack reached forward and lifted up the sleeve. A pure black band covered the skin of his wrist, approximately three inches in width, and it seemed to be melded with his flesh. Castiel stared at it in astonishment. What was that? 

"I-I don't... I don't know." 

Jack poked at it with cold fingers, drawing a small gasp from Castiel. He could feel Jack's fingers like he was touching his skin. 

"Oh, come on. Stop that." 

Castiel froze, heart fluttering in his chest. Jack was still touching his wrist, but his eyes were focused on something behind him. Castiel swallowed and turned around. 

The creature that wore his form had its arms crossed over its chest and an exasperated expression on its face. It reached over and pulled Jack's hand off the band. 

"What are you doing here?" Castiel asked. It sighed.

"You woke me up, pal, and I can't fall back to sleep. It's, hmm, upsetting me. But that's not the reason I'm here. Stop touching it, yes? It's very, hmm, irritating,  yeah."

"What is it?" Castiel asked. 

"It is, I suppose humans would call it a bracelet. Yes, that's the term. Or at least the closest thing to it."

"Why?" Castiel asked. 

"What, you don't like it?" It made a hurt face. "I am almost offended."

Castiel rolled his eyes. He let his sleeve fall back over his wrist. 

"Who are you?" Jack asked, speaking up for the first time since the entity had arrived. 

Its grin was almost manic as it turned to him.

"A better question is  _what_ am I." 

"What are you, then?" 

"The Empty," Castiel interjected. It pointed at him with a grin.

"Excellent. That is correct, yes." 

"I thought the Empty was a place," Jack said. 

"It's more of a concept, really. Probably too confusing for your young mind, however."

"What do you want?" Castiel asked. 

"Hmm, I am certain you will be able to figure it out, smart guy. I will see you around," it said. The space it had been occupying was abruptly empty. 

"I don't really understand what just happened," Jack stated with a frown. 

"I don't either," Castiel admitted.


	3. Still Creepy

[Click to view image ](https://goo.gl/images/2Zg2Nw)

Castiel was trying to fold the laundry - emphasis on  _trying_ \- when he heard a scream. He dropped the half tangled shirt and ran out into the living room area. Dean had a pistol aimed at the wall that now sported a bullet hole. Castiel frowned in confusion. 

"Where's that shapeshifting son of a b*tch!" Dean yelled.

Castiel felt a pair of hands slide over his back. He jolted, turning his head. Familiar blue eyes stared back at him in amusement. The being smiled. 

"Hello, Castiel," it greeted cheerfully. Dean whirled around, fury on his face. 

"Get away from Cas, you bastard!" Dean growled. It tilted its head at him, a dangerous spark glinting in its eyes. 

"It's alright, Dean. Please put the gun down," Castiel pleaded.

It draped an arm around his waist posessively. Castiel bit back a startled flinch. Its other hand was stroking the back of his head. Dean glanced at Castiel's face with no small measure of confusion. 

"What's going on here, Cas?" Dean asked. The being had him pulled back flush against its body, soft breath ghosting over the back of his neck. He shivered.

"Remember how I told you about how I came back?" Dean nodded. "This is the cosmic entity I mentioned," Castiel explained quickly. It hummed, and he felt its lips curl up against his neck in a smile. Or perhaps it was a smirk. He couldn't see it from where he was. 

"Why is that thing here?" Dean demanded. 

"I don't know, Dean," Castiel muttered, somewhat distracted by the hand continually petting his hair. Despite his fierce resolve, it did feel rather nice. "Please put the gun down." 

Dean stared at him for the longest time, the tension in the room thick and oppressive. Then, he slowly set the pistol on the table beside him. Castiel let out a tiny sigh of relief. 

"Now what? That thing is just glued to you for the foreseeable future?" Dean asked incredulously. The being chuckled, nuzzling the back of Castiel's neck. 

"Jealous, are we, Dean?" it said. Dean glared at it. 

"Why does it look like you?" Dean asked Castiel. 

"I like this shape," it responded before he could reply. 

"Why?" Dean asked. 

"Because I do," it answered. 

"What, are you five?" Dean snapped. 

"More like older than time," it said. 

"Stop it," Castiel hissed at them. "You are acting like children." 

"Hmm," it hummed in acquiescence. Dean also stopped talking, though he looked a bit red in the face. 

Suddenly, the presence behind him was gone, leaving his body cold at the abrupt loss of heat. He snuck a look back and saw that it was gone. Castiel sighed in relief. 

 

Castiel was sitting at the table in the war room, head in his hands. Jack had just left them, claiming he was a monster and only made things worse. That wasn't true. He just wanted his surrogate child to come back. He missed him. He couldn't find him, hidden as he was, and he couldn't fly. Castiel dug his fingers in his unruly hair. 

"Hello, Castiel." He didn't even look up. 

"Go away," Castiel said tiredly. He didn't want to deal with it right now. 

"What's the matter, little gnat?" it asked. 

"Jack is gone," he replied softly. 

"The Nephilim boy? Hmm. I see. You wish to find him?" it enquired. 

"Yes. I want to bring him back home." It made a humming noise to itself, pacing behind his chair. 

"This would please you?" it asked. Castiel looked at the being. 

"Yes," he said. 

It nodded and grabbed his wrist, the one with black molded to the bare flesh. Castiel gasped at the strange sensation filling his arm. It made his head spin. The world disappeared around him, and he stumbled as he landed on the cement near a parking lot. The being smiled and released his wrist from its grip. His eyes landed on Jack, sitting in the nearby alley. Castiel ran to him. 

"Jack!" 

Jack looked up at him in surprise. 

"How did you find me?" Jack asked. The being waved at him, and his eyes widened further. 

"That'd be me!" it said. Castiel hugged Jack to his chest tightly. 

"Don't do that ever again, Jack. Please." 

"But I - I'm not good," Jack said sadly. "Why do you still want me?" 

"Jack. I will always be here for you. No matter what you do or don't do," Castiel whispered fiercely. 

Jack leaned his head on his shoulder and cried quietly, tears wetting his coat. Castiel rocked the boy gently back and forth, stroking his back. He relaxed into a hand running through his hair until he realized that Jack had both of his hands on his coat. 


End file.
